Of Contracts and Bullets
by thatboyshikamaru
Summary: Shikatema AU: The life of a professional serial killer never appealed to him, nor did troublesome women. So when he found himself in the middle of an assassination mission with the most troublesome woman he knew, Shikamaru really questioned his so-called "intelligence".
1. Easy Life

_Easy Life_

Becoming an assassin was never part of Shikamaru's plan. So when his finger hugged the trigger, he really asked himself if this was what he wanted to be. He was positioned at a vantage point that overlooked the rooftop the target occupied. His eye peered through the scope that magnified his eyesight. His workmate Choji was being lookout, as he always is. His other workmate Ino was being bait, as she always was. They had been a team for about a month, though they had known each other much longer, and Shikamaru still did not know if this was the life for him. Of course, the pay was more than superb, but would a regular life be better than all of this madness? The question crossed his mind more than once and he was too afraid to admit the truth. He should have never gotten himself involved, especially at the age of 18. But it was too late to back out now. If the higher ups found out about any of his internal conflicts, he would be eliminated on the spot.

"Shikamaru, hurry up." He heard her faint whispers through his ear piece.

"Yeah." He zoomed in at the target who was currently chatting away with Ino. They had been conversing for a while now. It was always Ino's job to seduce the target and lead him out of public sight. And that was where Shikamaru came in. He had decided to choose the most mentally and physically challenging role of an assassin, a marksman. His life was dedicated his rifle and nothing else. Why did he do this? He doesn't know himself. At the moment, Shikamaru was jotting down some notes and surveying the area. His eyes scanned the lower floors of the dimly lit parking lot structure. It seemed clear but he could never be too sure. "I'm ready for the shot. Distract him and distance yourself Ino."

The target spontaneously reached out and offered his arm, which she took hesitantly. Shikamaru sighed in annoyance and readjusted himself slightly. "Oi, I can't get a clear shot if you're all up on him like that."

The man lowered himself to the girl's ear and whispered something. Ino violently shook her arm away with wide eyes. She tried to relay her message to her team but found her mouth covered by a hand. The man hooked an arm around her neck, putting her in an effective choke hold. Shikamaru had never encountered a situation as this, not even in training camp (which was stupid because you'd think these scenarios need the most preparation for in assassination missions). Grumbling, he adjusted his aim and zeroed into the target. He immediately recognized the consequences of this shot. He could not shoot, as the bullet was a threat to Ino as well. Or at least, he told himself not to shoot, but a mission is a mission. They had punched that into their heads enough already at the academy. He tried to slow his breathing as much as he could. He accounted for the light wind of the night and the flight of his bullet.

"Shikamaru, you're really going to-"

"Hn." Shikamaru already knew what the end of Choji's sentence was going to be. Choji shakily backed away in awe and decided he did not want to see. He had always feared of this. If they were never going to see Ino, a childhood friend, ever again, he wishes to at least not witness the horror. He could only feel pity for his close friend behind him, armed with a sniper that could potentially kill her. If she were to die by his hands, Choji knew Shikamaru would never forgive himself. But this is the harsh reality of the life of an assassin.

Every beat his heart beat, Shikamaru felt it. He felt every rush of oxygen into his lungs with each steady breath. The lack of blinking dried his eyes as they stared through the cross hairs. As soon as the light wind diminished, his finger involuntarily squeezed the trigger. The sound of the gunshot sliced through the silent night air of Tokyo. Shikamaru saw red splatter everywhere on the opposite edifice. The bullet struck the man in the neck and down he went. Ino fumbled around in panic and rushed to the stairwell.

"We need to get out of here. They knew." Her two teammate's eyes widened and they started to pack their gear.

"Wait, get a positive I.D. on the target."

"No need. He's a fake. I'll explain later Choji."

After climbing a flight of stairs, they finally regrouped in an alleyway nearby. The team of three speedily trekked their way to their vehicle in silence. They now sported black raincoats and scarves. Shikamaru held onto a briefcase and Choji had a backpack strapped on. Ino hung her head low to hide the blood smeared across the left side of her face.

"Hey, you three. What are you doing here so late?"

Their footsteps ceased and they stood in place, frozen.

"I'm only going to ask once more, what the fuck are you doing here?"

Shikamaru turned around and faced the two men. "My siblings and I got lost sir."

He internally kicked himself in the mind for adding "siblings" for whatever reason. They looked nothing alike nor had any family relations. Choji and Ino hesitantly turned to the pair now.

"Siblings? You guys look nothing alike."

"Uh, right...We're adopted." Choji tried his best to flash a smile and sell that there was nothing going on.

"I'm not buying it. There was something going on earlier and it just might be the three of you." One man smiled viciously and raised a finger to Shikamaru. "Hey kid, let me check your briefcase."

If these guys were working for the target and knew of all this, they did not approach the situation very well. But knowing the target and his cheap behavior, he would probably hire dimwitted henchmen anyways. "You want to check? Sure."

Shikamaru tightened his grip on the handle and swung it with all his force. An audible crack was heard upon contact with a jaw. His partner reached into his shirt for a possible gun but before he could grab anything, Ino's hand came out from her pockets and swiped at the man's throat in a flash. A small switchblade was revealed securely wrapped by her fingers. He began to choke and sputter as he fell to the ground. His hands found his neck and attempted to stop the bleeding. The three did not waste any time and dashed off to their destination. They weaved around the tight corners and dodged the open streets of Tokyo. When they had reached the last of their corners, they found a sleek black sedan.

"Hey, Kiba finally hooked us up." Choji examined the interior as he loosened his already messy tie.

"Yeah, well you should focus on getting us out of here quick. I'm in need for a shower." Ino picked up some loose magazines in the back and tried to wipe off the now dried blood on her.

"Wake me up when we get there." Sighing, Shikamaru reclined his passenger seat and raised his forearm to cover his eyes. _The life of a hitman. How troublesome._

.

.

It had been at least half an hour when they arrived at the immense pile of metal called HQ. On the outside, it was a luxurious hotel. On the inside though, a luxurious hotel was only half of the story. Within the Konoha Suites, there were countless of "societies". From intelligence to sports, they had it all. The most secretive though was the Anbu Black Ops of the Konoha corporation. The underground operations group possessed an immense network across all of Japan. They were the most well known but then, again not known at all.

Their offices were in the basement and the very top floors of the skyscraper. The assassins were granted housing here in return for their contract kills. There were garages that held their cars and they had open access to the utilities and activities. They lived lives of the wealthy. The life of a professional murderer came with sacrifice though, as they were not allowed to openly discuss any work (of course, who would anyways?) and were not allowed to be out in public that much. On top of the rules, mental sacrifices were inevitable. The constant murder and crime could take a toll on a hitman's mind, even if they were conditioned in academy.

 _Knock Knock._

"Come in." The metal door slid open to reveal three disheveled teens. "You guys look like shit."

The four of them laughed and the team began to report. When they had nearly ended, Ino gave the most crucial detail of the mission.

"It seems as though our mission was known of from the start. The target was a double and he told me what was happening. That dumbass, revealing their plans like that."

"He must have done it with a motive though. I don't think anyone is stupid enough to do that, Ino." Shikamaru fiddled around with a random pen.

"The Red Cloud Yakuza always has a motive for their actions. I would think this is no different." Asuma puffed some smoke as he examined the stack of papers resting on his desk. "They could have done it to throw us off."

"He certainly tried to strangle her. Maybe he would have brought you somewhere if you had been kidnapped." Choji sat to the side, munching on a power bar.

"Hm. He took hold of Ino, then what?" Asuma set his hands on his desk and let the last of his cigarrette burn out before crushing it in the ashtray. The three silenced and dreaded their leader's eye contact.

"Well, you see Shikamaru was put in a hard place. He had to shoot past Ino to the man...and it was-"

"I see. Well, these things are common. Ino, Chouji from the sound of this, you've all had a long night. Go." The sound of chairs against the tile floor filled the ephemeral silence. "Shikamaru, a word."

The teenager sighed and fell back down into his seat.

"I understand that it was hard to make that decision. But I know you had to."

"She could have died had I missed, Asuma."

"You dwell on the past too much. It hasn't even been 24 hours yet. Focus on the present, that's the difference between life and death. What matters is you're all here breathing still." Shikamaru did not respond and fidgeted his fingers.

"Anyways, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about mainly." Asuma slid a packet of papers in front of Shikamaru's eyes. "I'll be removing you from the squad for a while."

"What?!" Shikamaru shot up from his seat, confusion and anger in his eyes.

"Sasuke has returned from injury and Sai is taking your place. This is only short term, but it is possible it can turn into a long term thing."

"What do you mean?"

"We've had negotiations with our allies Suna. They've sent a representative from their home of Kyoto to us. I expect you to accompany _her_."

"I have to be there with Ino and Choji. Who's going to look out for them?!"

"Are you questioning Sai's abilities?"

"No. It's just I can't let them go out like that!"

"Shikamaru, you've learned this at the academy. Never let your feelings in the way of your work."

He had lost the fight, but this was his one chance of hope. "Who's decision was this?"

"Kakashi's."

 _Fuck._ There was no way he could argue out of this now. Shikamaru did not care of whatever this task was. He feared not being there for his team. He feared not being able to protect his team and worst of all, he feared his team would never come back.

"I'll explain more tomorrow, it's late. You are dismissed." The teenager did not need to be told twice and bolted out of the office. He navigated through the hallways to his room and shut the door behind him. He sighed at the mess that lay in front of him. Shikamaru had forgotten about the ruckus that took place this morning amidst his rush. He had knocked over his small bookshelf, causing books to be strewn all over his wooden floor. He decided he would clean it tomorrow and trudged his way to the bathroom for a much needed shower.

After finishing all his nightly routines, he finally lay in bed. His eyes met the ceiling, studying the various patterns etched in it. He could only let his mind wander until sleep took him. He thought back to his conversation with Asuma and how he mentioned the representative was a "her". Indeed, this was going to be troublesome.


	2. Reunion

_Reunion_

A pesky barrage of knocks interrupted his slumber and he lazily forced himself out of bed to rid his ears of this misery. Shikamaru did not bother pulling on a pair of shorts and went straight to the disturbance.

"What is it?" He cracked a small sliver so that he could speak without much contact. His eye peered through to find his long time friend Choji with a fist ready to knock once more.

"Asuma-sensei's called for you. You shouldn't keep him waiting longer." Shikamaru now fully opened the door and sighed.

"This early? Is it really that important?" His hand found the back of hes neck and rubbed it. _This is troublesome._

"He said something about an assignment and someone important is visiting." _That's right. The assignment._ He had forgotten all about it.

"Alright. Thanks Choji." Shikamaru propelled his arm forward, attempting to close the door, but found he couldn't. Choji placed a hand to stop the door and looked Shikamaru in the eye.

"It's urgent. He says its really important and if you don't come, we're all getting smoked for it." There was a hint of fear in Choji's wide eyes.

"What do you mean by get smoked?"

"He said we're going to be on surveillance duty all night for a week."

A visible vein popped from Shikamaru's temple as he crossed his arms. "Tch, the nerve of him. Alright, I'll make sure to be there soon."

"Thanks for understanding Shikamaru." Before he could respond to his friend, he was gone. Shikamaru turned and slammed the door in irritation. _Understanding? There was nothing to understand. Surveillance duty just sucks ass and everyone knows it._ He still could not believe his sensei of 2 years would pull a punishment like that. But he had to be grateful in the end. Team Gai would get hours and hours of unnecessary training, plus surveillance, just because of one mere error. He'd always hear it from TenTen and Neji, which was out of character for him to complain, that they would have to do surveillance without breaks if they even forgot to greet their sensei in the morning.

Ignoring the pile of books that still lay from yesterday morning, Shikamaru made his way to his bathroom. _I'll clean it when I get back tonight._ He turned the water to cold and stepped in the shower. He had a feeling today was going to be a longer day than usual.

.

.

"You called?"

Shikamaru leaned against the door frame, wearing his usual work attire. A white dress shirt, black tie, slim slacks, and his black blazer was slung over his shoulder. His expression showed no signs of content. Asuma stood in the corner of the room, peering out the glass pane with a mug of coffee in hand. The older man simply nodded at Shikamaru's question.

"Care to explain the task?" Shikamaru closed the door behind him now and took a seat. He rolled his sleeves to his elbow and welcomed a cigarette in his mouth. He couldn't remember the last time he had smoked but he needed a slight buzz at the moment.

"It's easier to explain when you're both here." Through his intermittent swigs of the caffeinated drink, Asuma returned to his desk and seated himself.

"What? She's going to be here already?" _This is troublesome._ "You didn't mention that yesterday."

"Well, I've been told she likes to be early." _Even more troublesome._ "If she were to come early, I wouldn't want to keep a guest waiting. And knowing you, that would have been inevitable."

The sound of two knocks interrupted their light conversation. "That must be her. Come in."

Shikamaru's eyes carefully examined the door over his shoulder. Whatever was behind it, he would be stuck with for the next few weeks or so. He hoped that the woman was not troublesome at all. The handle of the door bolted and in came a girl with four ponytails. She was dressed in a white blouse and black pants that hugged her legs. In her hand was a small briefcase. Shikamaru's eyes widened at the sight. His hopes of a not-so troublesome situation had been killed once again.

"You! You're the girl from the academy!" Shikamaru held a finger up at the woman.

"Oh? What are you doing here crybaby?" Shikamaru inwardly groaned to himself. He knew he was never going to live down that nickname. "I have a name...and it's rude to point at people, you know."

He retracted his finger and realized how unprofessional he had been. He was never going to hear the end of it if he let some more slip up under the supervision of his mentor. It pained him to say this, especially because of their prideful pasts. "S-sorry Temari."

"Ah, you two have met already?" Asuma let a chuckle out.

"We didn't just meet. We fought against each other in the academy exams." Her arms folded and she had an uninterested gaze. Shikamaru sighed and leaned back further into the chair. Out of all the possible people in the world, he was stuck with the most troublesome one. His mind began to recall their last encounter, which was at the academy. He remembered on the night of their graduation, she pulled him to the side and planted a kiss on his cheek. He was left dumbfounded and after that, he never saw her again. Until now.

"Temari-san, have a seat." The girl did as told and peeked at the boy using her peripherals. He was still the same lazy piece of crap she met three years ago. She inwardly blushed at the remembrance of their last interaction. She had pecked him on the cheek and that was the last she saw of him. But now here she was, three years later sitting next to him discussing business. "Now we shall start the briefing."

The two inched closer to the desk and listened. "I'm told that the head of Suna has recognized our worsening conditions and is offering information."

Temari nodded her head. "Gaara felt that he owes a lot to this organization. Naruto has helped him through hard times and he intends to return the favor."

"Then why are you here?" A lazy voice was then added into the conversation.

"It doesn't work that smoothly you know. Are you aware that Konoha has also sent a representative to Kyoto?" Temari set the briefcase on the desk and began the unpacking process. "I've been told to stay here for at least a month."

 _A fucking month?_ Shikamaru nearly stood up and left, but every ounce of responsibility left in him glued him to the seat.

"In the case of the outbreak of a gang war, we would need the help. There's a condition though, no?" Asuma leaned back in his seat and fumbled with his lighter.

"And that is the main reason why I'm here." Temari cleared her throat in between. She handed a packet of documents over to the older man. "Suna is in need of financial assistance. We give the information if Konoha will help us."

"Well, I'll have to forward that to Tsunade-sama." Asuma fiddled with a stick of tobacco in between his fingers. "Now, onto other matters..."

.

.

"Dismissed." The two stood up and bowed before heading to the exit. Shikamaru killed his cigarette in the nearest ashtray and slipped his blazer on.

"I didn't know you smoked."

"Yeah, I just picked it up along the way."

"Well, you shouldn't. It's bad for you." Being the gentleman that he was, Shikamaru opened the door for Temari first. He followed her into the hallway, leaving a smiling Asuma. _Just like Kurenai, always nagging me for my smokes._

The pair follow the path in front of them, not sure of an exact destination. The silence around them was unusual and uncomfortable. Back at the academy, they would bicker constantly but now it was different. They were three years older, three years more mature. None of them dared to bring up the events of that night.

"So it's been three years. What are you up to?" Temari was the first to shatter the quiet air.

"Nothing much. Just killing you know."

"You say that like it's a normal thing."

"That's what we were taught right?" There was no point in her nodding, but she did anyways. Their eyes still stared down the twists and turns of the halls. "What about you?"

"Unsurprisingly, Gaara's taken me as his assistant. I've just been managing some things and there's some missions here and there."

They reached an intersection of hallways and stopped. "Where are we going by the way? I'm supposed to keep you company so you choose."

"There's not much work to be done. And we can't go out in town, so I say let's rest." Shikamaru thanked the god, that he didn't believe in whatsoever, for her choice of rest.

"No objections. You have a room yet?"

"Well, it's still being cleaned out. Mind if I crash at yours for a bit?" She tried to say it without stuttering or hitching.

"Uh, yeah I guess." He rubbed the back of his neck and lead the way. It dawned on him that the two of them were going to be in his room. Alone. Shikamaru made it a point to himself to not do anything stupid...only if she didn't do something stupid first.


End file.
